No its not a spelling/grammatical error, "Why Knot?" is a store on Springs road in East Tamaki. Its like a super cheap discount grocery wonderland! I have been there only twice but I like it so much I decided to blog about it.
The other day I went there with Tiki (my LOVELY boyfriend!) and spent about $50 NZD and walked out with like a weeks worth of groceries plus snacks and junk food and also some long life soup bases, sauces and stocks.
OMFG!
I was so elated I walked out into the sunshine feeling all blessed that I was introduced to this shopping heaven. Usually if I shop at my local supermarket (which is so nearby I can walk there - Countdown) where I spend a lot of my time doing grocery shopping, I could spend up to $80 NZD just to get the same amount of stuff. I'm a big fan of Countdown since they have daily, weekend, week and monthly specials and as long as you have time to take a look around you can find some really quality goods for a very low price.
But I digress, back to "Why Knot?".
The only thing they don't sell there is fresh fruit, veggies (but I have a store I go to that is equally as affordable and local *winks*), fresh meats and specialised ethnic foods for example: foods from Japan, China etc, which I am VERY fond of. But I can learn to look past this.
So now Tiki and I have made the conscious decision to shop there every week and have set a budget for each store now and lets just say I'm really looking forward to going grocery shopping next week! Yay Me!
And since I touched on the subject of Japanese and Chinese foods, I have to say Japanese food items are quite hard to come across unless you are willing to drive a bit, although Chinese food markets are popping up everywhere *Delighted* and are easily accessible which is awesome because over the last few years I have graduated from mediocre "Chinese Take-away" foods to at home authentic Chinese cuisine.
I have always had a love for Japanese food although admittedly its mostly been limited to store bought or home made sushi, ramen and udon dishes but I'm looking to expand my horizons as it were in authentic Japanese cuisine.
After trolling the net (like I do on most days) looking for like what a typical Japanese family would eat at home so I can make it and enjoy the benefits, I was only able to come across meals that were mostly made up of items that are typically only available in Japan or things that had no explanation as to what they were or how to get a hold of them. Most websites that I viewed were actually written by someone living in the US and only had information on where to get them from in the US...BLAH *rolls eyes*.
But even the stores that are here are quite expensive to buy from and like I said are quite a distance away. So unless I am able to magically make petrol and money appear with a click of my fingers, that will have to wait until I'm within its vicinity. Also another frustrating thing? They do not sell online which means I really have no other way of getting my hands on these delicious morsels. AWEH...
So where does this leave me? In a very bad place between hunger and annoyance. I'm here often actually when I cannot decide what to cook for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and it is such a pain in the ass! I'm so sick of western food, with its greasy grease and fatty fats.
UGH. My body swells to obesity at the thought...
I want to eat something that is healthy and nutritious that I haven't had the chance to eat much of. I've tried other "healthy and nutritious" diets and although I have had some enjoyable meals it tends to become tedious and boring.
If I could, I would spend a year in Japan, learn the language (which I have tried and abandoned due to laziness) and to experience the wonderful food and culture, which in fact is now my current obsession.
This may seem like a waste of space and I have made myself hungry so I'm off to go cook whatever I can get my hands on...maybe some ramen...
P.S: If you know anywhere in New Zealand where I can get my hungry hippo hands on some good quality Japanese food items for a bargain, pretty PLEASE let me know in the comments section.
For me its RAMEN time! xo
The other day I went there with Tiki (my LOVELY boyfriend!) and spent about $50 NZD and walked out with like a weeks worth of groceries plus snacks and junk food and also some long life soup bases, sauces and stocks.
OMFG!
I was so elated I walked out into the sunshine feeling all blessed that I was introduced to this shopping heaven. Usually if I shop at my local supermarket (which is so nearby I can walk there - Countdown) where I spend a lot of my time doing grocery shopping, I could spend up to $80 NZD just to get the same amount of stuff. I'm a big fan of Countdown since they have daily, weekend, week and monthly specials and as long as you have time to take a look around you can find some really quality goods for a very low price.
But I digress, back to "Why Knot?".
The only thing they don't sell there is fresh fruit, veggies (but I have a store I go to that is equally as affordable and local *winks*), fresh meats and specialised ethnic foods for example: foods from Japan, China etc, which I am VERY fond of. But I can learn to look past this.
So now Tiki and I have made the conscious decision to shop there every week and have set a budget for each store now and lets just say I'm really looking forward to going grocery shopping next week! Yay Me!
And since I touched on the subject of Japanese and Chinese foods, I have to say Japanese food items are quite hard to come across unless you are willing to drive a bit, although Chinese food markets are popping up everywhere *Delighted* and are easily accessible which is awesome because over the last few years I have graduated from mediocre "Chinese Take-away" foods to at home authentic Chinese cuisine.
I have always had a love for Japanese food although admittedly its mostly been limited to store bought or home made sushi, ramen and udon dishes but I'm looking to expand my horizons as it were in authentic Japanese cuisine.
Like this
After trolling the net (like I do on most days) looking for like what a typical Japanese family would eat at home so I can make it and enjoy the benefits, I was only able to come across meals that were mostly made up of items that are typically only available in Japan or things that had no explanation as to what they were or how to get a hold of them. Most websites that I viewed were actually written by someone living in the US and only had information on where to get them from in the US...BLAH *rolls eyes*.
But even the stores that are here are quite expensive to buy from and like I said are quite a distance away. So unless I am able to magically make petrol and money appear with a click of my fingers, that will have to wait until I'm within its vicinity. Also another frustrating thing? They do not sell online which means I really have no other way of getting my hands on these delicious morsels. AWEH...
So where does this leave me? In a very bad place between hunger and annoyance. I'm here often actually when I cannot decide what to cook for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and it is such a pain in the ass! I'm so sick of western food, with its greasy grease and fatty fats.
UGH. My body swells to obesity at the thought...
I want to eat something that is healthy and nutritious that I haven't had the chance to eat much of. I've tried other "healthy and nutritious" diets and although I have had some enjoyable meals it tends to become tedious and boring.
If I could, I would spend a year in Japan, learn the language (which I have tried and abandoned due to laziness) and to experience the wonderful food and culture, which in fact is now my current obsession.
This may seem like a waste of space and I have made myself hungry so I'm off to go cook whatever I can get my hands on...maybe some ramen...
P.S: If you know anywhere in New Zealand where I can get my hungry hippo hands on some good quality Japanese food items for a bargain, pretty PLEASE let me know in the comments section.
And for your viewing pleasure I decided to add a few pics of insanely cute Japanese food...
Gorgeous!
So cute...I have never wanted to eat Pooh Bear...till now
Adorbs! I could just die...
For me its RAMEN time! xo
